Key-retaining device.



G. E. ALLEN. KEY RETAINING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19, 1911.

1,028,849, Patented June 11,1912.

Gew ejwz UNITED STATES PATENT cnoncn n. ALLEN, or nmcnronr, 'connnc'rrcu 'r.

I KEY-RETAINING nnvrcn.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 11, 1912,

Application filed July 19,

'1e11.- Serial No. 639,367;

To all whom it may concern: I Be. it known that-I, GEORGE E. ALLEN, a citizen of the United States, residingat Bridgeport, in the county-of Fairfield and State of Connecticut,'have invented new and useful Improvements in Key-Retaining Devices, of which the following'is a specifica tion; a

' An object of the invention is to'provide a key retaining device-for removably retaining a-key in locked or unlocked position in alock. 1 t f Among other features, my invention embodies a structure in which when the same isconnected to a key and to the'vshank of a door knob, thekey will be retained within the'lock and cannot be disengaged from the lock from the exterior-sideof the closure by theme of pliers or the like. a For the purpose mentioned, use-is made of a loop formed of an integral piece of flex1 ble wire and a retaining plate mounted to swing on one end of the loop, the said retaining plate being adapted to engage the other endv of the', loop with the extreme outer ends of the loop being adapted to be passed through the eye'of a key,.inserted in a lock so that thekey cannot be turned from the outer side of the lock or closure to which the lock is secured.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, constituting a part of this. specification, in which similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the views, and in which-- Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my vdeviceln applied position. 2 is an en'- larged vertical sectional view showing the ends of the loop engaged by the retaining plate. Fig.1 3 is a horizontal sectional view 'taken on the line 33 in Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow.

Referring more particularly to the views, I provide an integral piece of'flexible wire 10 bent to form a loop, preferably U-shaped,

the ends 11 of the said piece of wire having r their extremities 12 bent outwardly for a. purpose that will be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

Mounted to swing onone of the ends 11- is a retaining pl'ate 13, the ends of the retaining "plate being bent to form bearings 14, one of the bearings having one of the ends 11 passed therethrough so that the retaining plate will swing on the said end and the other bearing 14 being adapted to replate.

movably receive the other end of the wire loop 10.

In the use ofmy device the wire 10 is passed over the shank of a door knob on the the'wire is then pressed into engagement with the open bearing 14 of-the retaining:

ment with the'lock and preventing the same from being turned or pressed out of engagement with the. lock from the outer side i of the closure,

- Although I am aware that various =key fastening devices have been used heretofore,

embodying the use of a U-shaped piece of wire, I aimato produce a more eflective deyice. by employing theretaining. plate 13, the said plate being arranged so thatrrbothends of the wire 10 can be connected to the plate and'retained in engagement therewith and when this has been accomplished the lower extremities of the wire 10 need only be passed through the. eye of the. key to retain the same in engagement with the lock and when my device is used'constantly in connection with the same key, the free end of the wire need not be disengaged from the inner side of the door and the free end of retaining plate each time that it is desired to retain the key 'in locked or unlocked position, but the free end of the wire can be permitted to remain in engagement with the.

plate'13 and the lower ends of the wire need only be permittedto pass through the eye of the key to retain the same in engagement with the lock, while at the same time a slight upward movement of the wire 10 will disengage the same from the key without incurring the necessity of first disengaging one of the ends of the wire from the retaining As particularly useful in that when the free end of the wire is engaged with the vretaining plate, the device can be more easily carried in a pocket than if the free end of the wire were disengaged from the retaining plate so a portable device, my key fastener is outwardly therefrom and a retaining plate mounted to swing on one of the ends of the said ire and adapted for-removable en gagement with the free end of the said wire.f

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a looped piece of flexible wire and a retaining plate, the said retaining plate being mounted to swing on one of the ends of the said wire and adapted for removable engagement with the free end of the said wire.

3. In a key fastening device, a looped piece of flexible wire and a retaining plate swingingly mounted thereon to retain the free ends ofthe said wire in spaced relation to permit of inserting the free ends of the wire through the eye of the key.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two. witnesses.

GEORGE E. ALLEN.

.Witnesses J. W. KNowL'roN, LAWRENCE J.- GILL. 

